We live in a world of flaccid 'me-too' medical marketing, where hospitals and doctors trade bragging rights over the latest whiz-bang device or treatment. A world where TV stations and billboard companies are happy to take your money to run ineffectual medical marketing that leaves ordinary people (you know, those people you’d like to get as new patients) unconvinced. Or even worse, apathetic.

Would you like to find new ways to take your medical marketing materials to the next level? Maybe even prove to your administration that advertising really works? Incorporating a few ideas from direct response commercials might be just what you need. I’m not suggesting your hospital or medical practice start running commercials with flashing phone numbers and a hyped up announcer shouting “Call Now! Time is Running Out!”. But if you want your next healthcare organization marketing plan to deliver results, it won’t hurt to take a few hints from marketers who live and die by results.

Time for a little honesty: none of these tips are the holy grail of marketing. If you’re a student of advertising, you’re aware of many, and maybe all of them. They are truly fundamental. But that’s what you do when your game is off — you go back and study the fundamentals. Take note of these tips, and think about how you could use them to make your medical marketing more effective.

First of all, the people you’re appealing to only listen to one station: WIIFM. If you want new patients to take notice and respond to your message, you’ve got to play it on the only station that matters: WIIFM - 'What’s In It For Me'. You’ve got to showcase the unique selling point of your medical practice or healthcare system quickly, and then quickly explain why it matters to them.

More You, Less We. Reduce the ‘WE’ (as in “WE now offer Cyborg Knife Gamma-Ray Surgery, the most cutting-edge surgery known to modern man.”) and replace it with more ‘YOU’ (as in “YOU will have a smaller incision, less pain, and a speedier recovery with Advanced Cyborg Knife Gamma-Ray Surgery.”). When you get people to picture how your health care system will make their life better, you’re well on your way to having a patient for life.

Words Matter. They matter a lot. Keep your unique selling proposition short. Use as few powerful words as you can. Use language that will be easy for regular people to swallow. Then repeat as necessary until maximum results are achieved. This tip alone will help you stand out from the sea of medical blather out there.

Use the Undeniable Force of a Dramatic Demonstration. This is a technique you see over and over again in DRTV and infomercials - a man soaking up a whole bottle of soda with a high tech shammy, a formerly horrible golfer who can now drive a golf ball 300 yards, even the before and after pictures for weight loss products. The power of a dramatic demonstration cannot be overstated.

If Advanced Cyborg Knife Gamma-Ray Surgery results in a smaller incision and a virtually unnoticeable scar - show people how insignificant the scar will be. If it helps patients get back to their normal life quicker, show a patient on the golf course only a few days after surgery. Every Direct Marketer understands this simple fact: In the battle for mindshare, a dramatic demonstration is your secret weapon. It’s human nature.

I’ll share more Direct Response tips with you later that will help you add power to your healthcare organization marketing plan. But for now, let me leave you with a crucial one: Don’t neglect to tell people how you want them to respond. People want to respond, you need to make it easy for them. If you want them to call and sign up for a free health screening or prevention guide, tell them that, then show them your phone number. Don’t try and hide it - make it easy to read, and leave it on screen long enough for someone to go get a pencil and paper, come back to the screen and write it down. You know how you want people to respond to your marketing - make sure they know. After working so hard to make medical marketing materials with real impact, don’t lose it in the inches here.